"One May night in Fernley, Nevada, Native American Johnny Bonta got into a fight. It was a bad fight- one in which Bonta was knocked unconscious with a bat, had his nose and sinus cavities broken and received stab wounds to his neck. When the police arrived, they released the other combatants but brought Bonta to jail. Was it just a bad fight? Or, as the FBI is now investigating, was it a hate crime against Native Americans?

After being released by police, Josh Janiszewski bragged about the fight on Facebook. "Just laid the fists and boots to some 6'5" tongan dude. What you got on little guys?" he wrote. In the potentially incriminating comments to that post, Janiszewski detailed more of the attack and used racial slurs against Bonta and his companions. The post was later removed, but was saved as a screen shot.

Meanwhile, Bonta, his son-in-law Shane Murray, and Johnny's daughter Alyssa Bonta were charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon. The other three men involved, including Janiszewski, were not charged. The police report makes no mention of Bonta's claim that the attacks were racially motivated. However, while the District Attorney says it was a "mutual fight", the Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that it's investigating the incident as a possible hate crime."

Get the Story:
Johnny Bonta: Hate crime victim? (Al Jazeera 7/19)

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